Anxiety after illness

[Cherie1472]

Hi, I've been having anxiety symptoms.  I had a brain tumour removed 9 weeks ago, now my life feels upside down and I feel empty. Worried about what will happen job wise, money wise and if I'll be able to keep my house. Thanks for reading.  

[Croix]

Dear Cherie1472~

Welcome here to the Forum, a good place ot find others who have recovered from surgery and how to try and overcome your very natural anxiety.

9 weeks is a short time after such a sensitive and worrying operation and you are only now getting to the stage of finding your feet and not being overcome by worries. The fact you have reached out here indicates you are starting to deal with things even if at the moment they seem overwhelming.

Your problems are real, particularly if you don't currently have a job, and worry over them  can take over your life. As a result may I suggest you seek some counceling so that someone outside can help you see things in proportion and give you hope you will deal with everything in due time.

Personally I'd suggest giving our own 24/7 Support Line a call and speaking with our friendly councilors, who may be able to steer you to the correct service.

May I ask if oyu have anyone in your life to give you support or help. Perhaps a family member, partner or freind? Trying to face this alone is extra hard.

If you would like ot let us know how you get on that would be very welcome.

Croix

[ABC01]

Dear Cherie1472,

I am sorry to hear you are feeling so overwhelmed right now.

It is natural to feel scared when you have uncertainty in front of you, and especially after something as important as a brain tumour has been removed from your body.

I can’t imagine this mental stress is good for your recovery.

I was wondering if there are any payments from the government that may apply to your situation and can help alleviate a bit of stress about money.

When we worry, we tend to almost tunnel vision or bottleneck our emotions and thoughts. We tend to only focus on the bad and nothing positive.

You underwent major surgery. You survived the surgery. You are going through recovery. Don’t minimise this. You are incredibly brave, resilient and strong. These are achievements to be proud of. Please applaud yourself for this.

Mindfulness Breathing can help ground you in a moment of intense emotions. There are apps and some smart watches offer this to you built in. Other grounding techniques are available like the 5 senses grounding technique. You use your senses to identify things and bring you back to the moment.

It is only natural to worry about your job, money and home. And those thoughts are valid. But you also need to focus on your recovery. We can’t tell what is going to happen tomorrow,we just have to see when we get there. But if we can’t mirror ball gaze our futures, then we don’t have control. Anxiety can be about control. Work on taking your time. I know it is scary, but if you are doing the best with what you have everyday,then you ARE doing your best. And that is all anyone can ask for.

Please reach out again anytime you want too,

ABC01

[AnonymousZG]

Hi Cherie1472,

What was the symptoms of a brain tumour and what was the procedures like? I was recently diagnosed with a meningioma. I was told that it is a benign tumour and I need to do more scans. I googled and it seems like nothing could be done about it. They will wait and see, if symptoms occur or if it grows to a certain size, then I need to have Surgery to remove it. I didn't dare to tell anyone at work, scared to be discrimated against. 

Thanks